


To Be or Not To Be (Famous)

by Munarloth



Series: 36 Questions That Lead to Love [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 09:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13097430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Munarloth/pseuds/Munarloth
Summary: "Would you like to be famous? In what way?"James shows Lily how to get into the kitchens.





	To Be or Not To Be (Famous)

By the first Friday night of term, the 6th years were already drowning in homework.

“I just wanted to be well rounded!” The cry sounded from behind a stack of books at a study table deep within the library. Lily’s hair was half falling out of a bun as she ran her finger down a long list of assignments. “Potions pre-reading, Transfiguration pre-reading and question set, Charms practicing and three-foot theory essay, Arithmancy problem set, Ancient Runes four-foot translation and analysis, Defense pre-reading, and History four-foot essay, all due before next Thursday - plus Prefect duties. I’m never going to be able to finish!”

“Imagine how the 7th years must feel,” Mary muttered, deep in her Transfiguration book.

“Who cares about them?” Marlene huffed. “I’m already ready to die and it’s only been a week.”

“Imagine when we’re the 7th years.”

All three girls shuddered at Mary’s comment. Lily shook her head and shifted her books around. “I can’t think about next year. The only reason I can even think about next  _ week _ is because it’s when all of this is due. Ok, I’ve already finished the Arithmancy questions and the Ancient Runes translation and I have the analysis outlined, and it’s too close in here to practice Charms...maybe I’ll outline for the History essay.”

“Mind if I join you?”

Mary smiled up at Remus as he approached their table, moving her bag to make space. “Make yourself at home!”

“Yeah, we’ll be here for the rest of the night if Lily has anything to say about it,” Marlene rolled her eyes, betraying her cheerful tone.

Lily stuck her tongue out at her friend. “If you want to wait and do everything on Sunday, be my guest.”

“I know, I know. It’s just - what a first Friday back.”

“N.E.W.T.s got really intense really fast,” Remus observed.

“Exactly.”

“Where’s the rest of your band of merry men, Remus?” Mary asked. “Don’t they have homework, too?”

“Oh, they always wait until Sunday.”

Marlene sighed loudly and shot a sidelong glance at Lily, which she pointedly ignored. “Remus, what’re you working on, the History essay?”

“Unfortunately. You?”

“Same. We can compare notes.”

“Speaking of notes,” Marlene said, “Mary, can I copy yours from Divination yesterday?”

“Yeah, sure, here you go.”

They were soon engrossed in their work, breaking the silence only to trade comments and ask clarifying questions about each other’s notes. Lily finished outlining the overlaps between Muggle WWII and Grindelwald’s attempted takeover of the wizarding world and was about to move on to filling in her Ancient Runes analysis when out of the corner of her eye she caught another 6th year approaching the table.

“Prongs, what’re you doing here? You do know this is the library, right?” 

“Very funny, Moony.” James dragged over a chair from another table and sat on it backwards, his legs splayed and his chin resting on the chair back. “What’re you all working on?” He wrinkled his nose at their overlapping answers of “History”, “Ancient Runes”, and  “Divination”. “That sounds miserable.”

“It  _ is _ ,” Marlene groaned, dropping her quill and tipping back in her chair.

“Don’t you have any homework?”

“Evans, it’s  _ Friday _ .” Lily merely looked at him, one eyebrow raised, before he huffed, rolling his eyes and continuing. “I do my assignments on  _ Sunday _ . It’s practically the 11th Commandment.”

“Funny, I must’ve missed that sermon.” 

James snorted once and they fell back into silence. He barely lasted 10 minutes before tipping forward on his chair to bump the table. “Do any of you want to go get a snack, then?”

Lily looked up, brows furrowed. “Where?”

“The kitchens, Evans, duh.”

“We really should be getting back to the common room, actually,” Remus observed.

Mary looked at her watch and immediately closed her notes. “He’s right, curfew’s in 15 minutes.”

“Thank God.” Marlene was quick to shove her work into her bag and stand up, stretching and twisting to crack her back.

James hovered as they packed up their things and trailed behind them as they left the library. “Oh, come on Moony - Padfoot and Wormy won’t come with me and I’m  _ famished _ .”

“Nah - we shouldn’t press our luck so early into term.”

James huffed and Lily considered her own stomach, dangerously close to rumbling out loud. “I’ll go.”

“Really?” James looked beyond hopeful and she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, why not? I could be hungry.” As though by magic, her stomach growled loudly as she spoke.

Remus smirked but his amusement shone through. “Just don’t get caught.”

“Yeah, and bring back a pudding,” Mary added. 

“We’ll bring back six,” James said, looping his arm through Lily’s and pulling her down the corridor. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Lily shook herself free and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. They soon left their friends behind as she followed James in the direction of the Entrance Hall.

“So...you’ve never been to the kitchens before?”

“No, I actually have no idea where they even are.” James grinned to himself, and Lily nudged him with her elbow. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, come on,” She smiled playfully and he reached up to rub the back of his neck.

“I never thought I’d be taking Lily Evans on her first adventure out-of-bounds.”

“Oh? And how would you know if I’ve never been out-of-bounds?” He just gave her a look and she scoffed. “I’ve been out after curfew before.”

“Prefect patrols don’t count.”

“Oh my God, that’s not what I meant! I’m not completely lame. Plus sometimes it’s easier to just leave the tower when Marlene and Diane Clearwater really go at it, you know?”

“Why don’t they like each other?”

She shrugged. “Diane’s friends with a bunch of purebloods from other Houses - you know how it is.”

“Ahh. Yeah.”

“I mean, I know it’s all bollocks, but - it can still be annoying sometimes, too. It gets old.”

“I bet.”

They grew quiet as they neared the Entrance Hall. It was the first time they’d really been alone since term started, and Lily wondered if James was thinking about that, too. They were getting along better this year, not that they’d really fought  _ that _ much before. The ease of friendship may or may not have had something to do with the sudden absence of a certain Slytherin in her life, though Lily would never admit it. And anyway, she had noticed that James hadn’t been written up at all yet this term, so perhaps she could just attribute it to his turning over a new leaf - maybe.

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“I told you, Evans, the kitchens.”

“You know what I mean.”

He shushed her as they came around the edge of the Grand Staircase. He pulled her close to the edge of the bannister, his gaze sweeping the wide corridor. When he was sure that the coast was clear, he took her elbow again and hurried down the stairs. 

“Are we going to the dungeons?”

“Unless you know somewhere this corridor leads that I don’t.”

“Don’t be cheeky, Potter.”

“Don’t be thick, Evans.”

She rolled her eyes as he led her deeper into the dungeons. 

“This is close to the Hufflepuff Common Room, isn’t it?”

He glanced back at her, one eyebrow raised over a grin. “How do you know where the Hufflepuff Common Room is?”

“Prefect.”

“Oh, right.”

He stopped in front of a large still life of fruit hung on the wall. “Ok, tickle the pear.”

“Is that a dirty joke?” She eyed the painting warily.

“Evans, the Marauders never joke where food is concerned.”

She turned to stare at him. “The Marauders?”

“You know, me and my mates!” He beamed proudly. “Sirius, Remus, Peter, and me. We’re the Marauders.”   


“Does anyone actually call you that?” 

“Well, no, not yet - but we’re getting there! Now will you just tickle the pear already?”

The pear turned into a doorknob under her touch, and the painting swung in to admit them. He followed her through and she barely had a chance to take in the large room, the roaring fireplaces and four long tables, before they were surrounded by dozens of elves, waist-high and wearing tea towels embroidered with the Hogwarts crest. 

“Master Potter, Master Potter!”

Lily smirked. “Come here often?”

He blushed but shrugged it off. “Maybe a few times.”

“So these are, um…?”

“Oh, House Elves. Everyone, this is Evans.”

She was greeted with a quick chorus of her name. One elf in particular wearing a cap in addition to his toga, a little paper boat that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Muggle burger joint, stepped up to the front of the throng. “How can we be helping you tonight, Master Potter? Miss Evanses?”

“Hullo Twinky. Evans and I are starved.” James turned to Lily, who was staring at Twinky’s hat. “What did you want to eat? Sweets? Sandwiches?”

Within seconds the House Elves had produced trays of everything James suggested, from puddings to chips to thick, meaty sandwiches. Lily’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair as she looked from tray to tray, trying to make a decision.

“Could you lot just wrap up some of everything?” 

James’s question was quickly answered as several pages were held up for them. They put everything into James’s bag so as not to crush them under Lily’s books, and were soon back out in the dungeon corridor.

“That was - wow!”

James chuckled. “I know, the first time we found it we were there for nearly an hour eating everything they put in front of us. Sirius and Peter threw up after.”

“So those are House Elves? I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never seen one in person before.”

“Yeah. It’s brilliant - they’ll bring just about anything you could ask for.”

“Do you think they like serving wizards?” Lily wondered aloud as they reached the Entrance Hall. Instead of answering, James grabbed her elbow for the third time that night, this time in a vice-like grip. “Ow, Potter, what are you--”

“Ah yes, Mr. Potter, and - why, Miss Evans, of all people!” Lily gasped as Professor McGonagall appeared from around the Grand Staircase. “What could you possibly be doing out of your common room after curfew?”

Lily merely gaped, dread pooling in her stomach, as Professor McGonagall waited for an answer, her mouth a dangerously thin line. 

“Lily heard I wasn’t back in the common room yet at curfew so she came to get me,” James volunteered quickly. “As a Prefect, of course.”

“Of course. And what, pray tell, were you still doing out wandering the corridors?”

“Just lost track of time,” James grinned as though nothing was wrong. “You know how it is.”

“Indeed.” Professor McGonagall’s gaze swept back to Lily. “Miss Evans, is this true?”

Lily swallowed and James pinched her elbow, hard. “Yes, Professor. We were just heading back to Gryffindor Tower now.”

“Very well.” She paused, looking pointedly at the gleaming hourglasses displaying each House’s points. “I trust that it won’t happen again, Miss Evans, and that I won’t need to take points from my own House tonight?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Go on, then. I’ll see you both at breakfast tomorrow.”

They ran up the stairs, not daring to speak until they had reached the third floor. 

“Bloody hell, I thought we were dead for sure!” Lily gasped.

“Language, Evans! Blimey, are you really that out of shape?”

“Shut it, you.” Lily walked slowly down the corridor, holding her arms over her head to relieve the stitch in her side. “We’re not all bloody quidditch players.” 

James just grinned, following her up another flight of stairs. “It’s a good thing it was McGonagall who caught us - she loves you.”

“She favors you lot too, and you know it. You’re right though, anyone else and we’d have had a week’s detention.”

“It probably wouldn’t have been that bad. You’re a Prefect, after all.”

“True.” Lily mulled it over for a moment, then asked “Do you use Remus like that, too?”

James frowned. “I didn’t use you--”

“No, I know, that’s not what I meant. Does Remus - have you been able to get out of trouble before, since he’s a Prefect, too?”

“Nah, he’s never let us. Takes the Prefect thing pretty seriously, he does. He was so bloody proud after he got that badge.”

Lily ran a hand through her hair, thinking about all the times she had wondered about Remus letting his friends slide. “He’s a good Prefect. He deserved the position.”

“He didn’t think so, at first.”

“Why not? He was the obvious choice!”

James almost began to speak, then stopped. Lily looked over, and his brow was furrowed as he looked down at his feet, then around the stairwell. “He just - doesn’t always think highly of himself, I guess. It’s - we’re just - I guess it’s just our age, you know? Some people are just like that?”

She nodded, remembering countless times that she and her roommates had bemoaned some personal flaw or other. She never really thought of blokes having the same issues, but she guessed she didn’t really know that much about blokes, anyway. The ones she knew the best were the ones in her year, and she liked to think that they weren’t a good representative minority, not to mention Severus. 

“I hope you told him otherwise.”

“Oh, we did! We might’ve taken the mickey a bit at first, but he knows how we feel - he really was the best for the job.”

They continued up to Gryffindor Tower, and Lily was just thinking about how nice it would be curling up in her room with their snacks when James stopped dead in front of the painting of the fat lady. “Oh, bugger.”

“Hmm?” Lily looked up and frowned at the empty frame in front of them. “Where is she?”

“Must’ve gone on a midnight visit, now that it’s past curfew.” James dropped his bag on the floor and slid down next to it, his back against the wall. “Guess we’ll just have to wait until she comes back.”

Lily groaned, joining him on the floor. “I just wanted to go up and have a snack and go to bed.”

“Sorry, Evans. Speaking of snacks, though - sweet or savory?”

“Hmm...savory.”

He was quick to pull a sandwich from his bag and hand it to her. She could smell the turkey and cheese through the wrapping and inhaled deeply. James snickered at her and she ignored him, pulling her Transfiguration book from her bag and flipping it open to next week’s section.

“More homework?”

She nodded. “Might as well, if we’re stuck out here.”

“I guess. Have your Defense book?”

She handed it to him wordlessly and settled in to read, taking a large bite of her sandwich. They read for several minutes, and he spoke up as she swallowed the last bit of crust. 

“You’re going for seven N.E.W.T.s, right?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Eight.” She could hear the pride in his voice and the smirk on his face before she even looked up. 

“ _ Eight _ ?”

He nodded. “Transfiguration, Defense, History, Charms, Arithmancy, Potions, Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Lily mentally reviewed her classes so far, realizing that Potter was indeed in most of them, minus Ancient Runes. “What do you want to do after school?”

“Honestly? I would love to play professional Quidditch until McGonagall retires, then take over teaching Transfiguration here.” James was staring determinedly at a fixed point in the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, and Lily could have sworn she could see a blush creeping up his neck.

“Famous quidditch player I can see but I have to admit, I can’t exactly imagine you teaching.”

“Transfiguration is my best subject - I’m top of the class!” He objected.

“It’s not your lack of skill that has me questioning you, you prat. It’s more trying to imagine you being responsible for hundreds of children,” Lily said wryly. “You’re not exactly the perfect role model.”

He grinned, shrugging. “I can be responsible when I need to be.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Yeah, yeah. What do  _ you _ want to do?”

“I told you already, eat and go to bed.”

“Very funny, Evans. You know what I mean.”

“I think I’d like a job at the Ministry, maybe in Muggle relations, or legislation.”

“How noble of you.”

Her eyes narrowed, but his face wasn’t serious. “It does affect pretty much every aspect of my life in this world.”

“I know. Sorry.” He paused, cracking his knuckles as she looked at him. “I just meant - it’s a good cause. It would be good for you to go into that.”

She looked back down at the textbook in her lap. “Thanks.” 

They both read for a few more pages until James spoke up again. “I’m sorry, too, about, erm...last year.”

“Last year?”

“You know what I mean.”

Lily looked up and he was staring at a fixed spot in the textbook, color rising again in his cheeks and neck. 

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”

“We shouldn’t have done that - not for no reason. It was mean. And I’m sorry for what he said to you.”

She was quiet for a moment before answering. “He would’ve said it eventually either way.” The corridor suddenly felt oppressively quiet beyond their low voices and she looked down, twisting her sandwich wrapping into a tight ball. “Maybe it was better this way.”

“Evans.” His voice was serious, and his forehead was wrinkled when she looked up, his gaze ready to catch hers. “No friendship should end that way. No one deserves that.” 

She glanced down, then back up at his intent face. “I know. But still. I needed to know.”

He nodded, blinking quickly all of a sudden and looking around the corridor. “Yeah, I guess you did.” He glanced back at her, his eyes full of sorrow. “I’m still sorry, though.”

“Thanks, Potter.” She thought that might’ve been the most sincerely she’d ever said his name, and it was still just his surname. She wondered idly if they’d ever really be on a first name basis, but found that it didn’t quite bother now her in the same way that it seemed to matter when they argued. 

It felt like a long time that they looked at each other, but Lily knew it was only a few seconds before she cleared her throat and went back to her textbook. They kept reading in comfortable silence until the fat lady finally came back to her frame, tutting at them for being outside after hours.

“Thanks for taking me,” Lily said as they climbed into the common room. 

“It was fun. Thanks for covering with Minny.” James paused, sorting through the packages in his bag and handing several to Lily.

“I guess I should get this stuff up to Mary and Marlene,” She said, taking the puddings and heading for the girls’ stairs. “Well - goodnight.”

He grinned slightly and made for his own stairs. “‘Night, Evans.”

* * *

“So? Did you have fun? You were gone an awfully long time.”

“At least let me get in the door before you start the Spanish Inquisition, Mum.” Lily closed the dormitory door behind her and dropped her bag on top of her trunk. Mary and Marlene were staring at her expectantly, their roommates already in bed behind closed curtains. “ _ Yes _ , I had fun, ok?”

“Why were you gone for ages? Remus said the kitchens are just under the Great Hall, it shouldn’t have taken you  _ that _ long. Make any broom closet detours?” Marlene waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Hardly. The Fat Lady wasn’t in her frame when we got back so we had to sit in the corridor and wait.”

“Oh.”

“You had a good time though?” Mary prompted.

Lily nodded. “It was fun, seeing parts of the castle that I’ve never been to. The kitchens are massive, and there are so many house elves! Oh, and we almost got caught by McGonagall! Well, I suppose we did get caught, but Potter said that I had caught him out of bounds and was escorting him back here.”

Mary snickered. “I can just see the look on Minny’s face, thinking you of all people were out after curfew.” 

“I thought she was going to go spare. Lucky she bought Potter’s story or we’d have definitely lost points.”

“So what’d you do while you were stuck outside the common room?”

“Studied and talked a bit. Did you know he’s going for eight N.E.W.T.s?”

Marlene nodded. “He told me when mum and I were at his house in August.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“You never asked.”

“He’ll be at the top of the class if he does well,” Mary said. “He’s already getting good marks in Divination.”

“That’s absolutely absurd,” Lily muttered.

“He’s really quite good!”

“No, absurd that anyone can do well in Divination at all, because it isn’t real. Maybe he’s just good at making things up.”

Mary snorted. “You’re a witch who goes to magic school and you don’t think Divination is real?”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Hang on, hang on, I think I’m getting a vision!” Marlene swayed back and forth on her bed, one hand up in the air and the other hovering over her closed eyes. She began to speak in a light, willowy voice. “I see...I see...a redhead...and a boy with messy black hair...walking down a country lane...holding hands...and  _ kissing _ !”

“Oh, my god,” Lily rolled her eyes, unwrapping a piece of treacle tart and taking a large bite. “You’re totally convincing me!”

“Here Lils, I’ll read your tea leaves.” Marlene grabbed an old teacup that Lily had left on her nightstand that morning and ran to dump the remains in the sink. She stood in the doorway staring into the cup, twisting it this way and that. “Yep, you’re definitely going to fall for James this year. Says so right here in the cup.”

“Potter and I are just friends!”

“Friends who just sat in the hallway talking for an hour!”

“Merlin’s pants, it’s not like we could get back into the tower! We were stuck! And if those are the only qualifications then I guess I’m destined for multiple marriages because I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent talking to Remus in the corridor on patrol.”

“Remus doesn’t count, he’s just a friend.”

“That’s exactly my point!”

“Ok but Remus isn’t in love with you.”

Lily sprayed crumbs across her bed, coughing on another bite of tart. “In  _ love _ with me?”

Marlene’s eyes were round, her hand clapped over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

“Marlene if you don’t explain yourself right now I’ll hex you into next week.” Lily cleared her throat of the last dry crumbs and pointed her wand at her friend. 

“Oh come on, no way did you not know he has a thing for you.” 

Lily glanced away from Marlene to Mary’s bed. “Yes way, how was I supposed to have known that?”

“He asked you out last term, we were all there!”

“That wasn’t real, he was just trying to egg Severus on even more.”

“I’m not so sure.” Marlene sat cross-legged on Lily’s bed, knocking her wand out of her hand. “The lads were all taking the piss the whole time I was there, teasing him about fancying you.”

“Absolutely not,” Lily said. “They were not. Oh god, I need a smoke.”

Mary dug a pack of cigarettes out of her trunk and passed it around, Marlene holding out her wand for a light. “What’s so hard to believe about this?”

“It’s  _ James Potter _ . He’s…”

“Fit? Intelligent? Funny and fun to be with?”

“Yes - maybe - and a huge prat!”

“He’ll grow out of that,” Mary said sagely, blowing smoke out of the side of her mouth.

Lily groaned and took a drag. “Sure he will.”

“We’re only 16, we have ages to grow up.”

“He’s going to need ages.”

“Why not just give him a shot and see?”

“Because I don’t even fancy him anyway! Just because someone has a thing for me doesn’t mean I’m obligated to go out with them.” Lily grabbed for the ashtray on her nightstand and haphazardly flicked her ash into it, barely missing her bedcovers. 

Mary shuddered. “Imagine if it did, you’d be with Snape right now.”

“Ugh!” Lily fell backwards onto her pillows and Marlene patted her knee. 

“You know that’s not what we mean. I’m just saying he’s not that bad.”

“I know he’s not that bad. He’s an idiot and a bully but he’s just a privileged little boy. I know he’s not a Death Eater. But I still don’t fancy him just because we’re kind of mates sometimes, and I don’t have to go out with him just because he  _ might _ ask me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I know,” Lily blew out a long stream of smoke and reached out to lace her fingers with Marlene’s on her knee. “Me too. I think I’m just tired.”

“Me too,” Mary groaned. “Let’s go to bed - I think we’ve earned it after all of the homework Lily made us do tonight.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Lily rolled her eyes but grinned, taking one last drag of her cigarette before stubbing it out and getting ready for bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Question two of 36 Questions That Lead to Love: Would you like to be famous? In what way?


End file.
